Sources of Pollutants Point Source –Specific location of concentrated pollutants Factory Waste, Sewage Nonpoint Source –Scattered or diffuse sources of.

Sources of Pollutants

• Point Source– Specific location of concentrated

pollutants• Factory Waste, Sewage

• Nonpoint Source– Scattered or diffuse sources of

pollutants • Golf courses, Air-borne, Agriculture

Major Types of Ocean Pollution

• Oil Pollution

• Toxic Materials

• Sewage and Eutrophication

• Garbage

• Radioactive Waste

Oil Pollution

(Courtesy of NOAA)

Global Oil Pollution

Oil Pollution Sources

• Runoff: 363 million gallons/year

• Maintenance: 137 million gallons/year

• Air Pollution: 92 million gallons/year

• Natural Seeps: 62 million gallons/year

• Big Spills: 37 million gallons/year

• Offshore Drilling: 15 million gallons/year

Effects of Oil Pollution

• Kills marine animals– Destroys insulation– Death through ingestion

• Damages ecosystems– Destroys coastal flora and fauna– Devastates local economies

Toxic Materials

(Courtesy of Student Environmental Action Coalition)

Toxic Materials

• Heavy Metals – Lead, Mercury, Cadmium– Dioxin, PCBs, PAHs

• Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)– Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBs)– Dioxin– Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)

Toxic Materials• Sources

– Factory Waste– Agriculture– Air Pollution

• Effects– Destroy immune function

• Leads to cancer and other diseases

– Biomagnification and Bioaccumulation• Top predators, such as orcas and tuna can have extremely high

levels of toxics

Sewage and Eutrophication

(photo: Gordon Dalzell)


• Sources– Cities dump sewage, treated or untreated into

ocean– Large vessels, such as cruise ships

• Can dump in pristine areas such as Southeast Alaska

• Effects– Eutrophication: nutrients in sewage cause algae

blooms• Decomposition of dying bloom uses up oxygen

• Lack of oxygen kills animals such as fish

– Introduces pathogens• Pathogens in human waste enter food web

• Can infect people who eat the seafood


Garbage

Garbage

• Sources– Unregulated dumping

• Ships

• Coastal Communities

– 14 Billion pounds of garbage are dumped in the ocean each year

• Effects– Marine animals

• Become ensnared and die

• Ingest garbage and die

– Fouls ship motors and marine machinery

Garbage

Radioactive Waste

Radioactive Waste

• Sources– Dumping at sea is banned

• Discharge from coastal facilities

• Effects– At sea: not well known– On land: causes birth defects and cancer such as

leukemia

Global Treaties on Ocean Pollution

• 1972: The London Convention

• 1973: MARPOL

• 1982: UNCLOS

• 1995: GPA

• Purpose: control all sources of marine pollution and prevent pollution of the sea through regulation of dumping into the sea of waste materials.

• www.londonconvention.org

1972: The London Convention

• Black and Grey List Approach– Blacklist items were prohibited

• Mercury, Cadmium, Persistent Plastics, Oil, Radioactive Waste, Organohalogens

– Grey list items required a permit• Arsenic, Copper, Lead, Cyanide, Fluorides, Pesticides

and Scrap Metal

• Banned most ocean dumping of waste produced on land

1972: The London Convention

1973: MARPOL

• International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from only from ships

• Regulated pollutants that come from ships– Oil, Noxious Liquids, Sewage, Garbage, Ship

Air Pollution

1982: UNCOLS

• United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea

• www.un.org/Depts/los/index.htm

• Globally recognized regime dealing with all matters relating to the Law of the Sea

• Key Points– 12-mile territorial sea around all coastal states– Allows for “Transit Passage” of foreign ships

through territorial seas – Creates Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ)

• Coastal states have 200 mile jurisdiction

1982: UNCOLS

1995: GPA

• Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities

• www.gpa.unep.org

• Aims to prevent the degradation of the marine environment from land-based activities

• Recommendations– Identify and assess problems related to

• Food Security and Poverty

• Public Health

• Coastal Ecosystem Health and Biodiversity

• Economic and Social Benefits

• Physical Alteration

1995: GPA

• Recommendations– Identify Sources of Degradation

• Coastal and Upstream Point Sources

• Coastal and Upstream Non-Point Sources

• Atmospheric Deposition

– Establish Priorities for Action– Set Objectives for Priority Problems– Determine Strategies to Achieve Objectives

1995: GPA

Sources of Pollutants Point Source –Specific location of concentrated pollutants Factory Waste, Sewage Nonpoint Source –Scattered or diffuse sources of.

Documents

Sources of Pollutants Point Source –Specific location of concentrated pollutants Factory Waste, Sewage Nonpoint Source –Scattered or diffuse sources of.